WEST MELBOURNE — No one knows precisely why a Palm Bay man crashed his car into a pond in December, but authorities have ruled his death as an accidental drowning.

Johnny Lee Francis Jr., 20, of the 600 block of Capeador Street, was found dead Dec. 13 in a retention pond in the Whispering Winds subdivision in West Melbourne. Family members said he had been missing about four days prior to the discovery of him and the Nissan Sentra.

The pond is west of Dairy Road in the middle of Soft Breeze Circle.

The state Medical Examiner's Office found no signs of drugs or alcohol in Francis' system. He suffered no traumatic head injuries, according to the report.

The autopsy was completed Jan. 10.

A memorial service was held for Francis, who graduated from Heritage High School in Palm Bay, on Dec. 28. He was employed at Acousti Engineering and worked as a drywall hanger. He was survived by his parents, Johnny Francis Sr. and Latasha Martin, and his siblings, Precious Francis, Amber Francis and Jayquan Martin.

Lamaur Stancil is a breaking news reporter for Florida Today and TCPalm.com. He can be reached at 321-242-3662 or 321-987-7179. E-mail him at lamaur.stancil@tcpalm.com. Follow him on Twitter at @TCPalmLStancil.